Waiting
by Caranath
Summary: waiting is the hardest part. a fact Laura Hardy knows all too well


**A/n:** _Hi gang! remember me?! it's been a Looooong time. I'll be honest this wasn't the story I set out to publish. In fact I had started a nice long complicated 'fill in the blank' story in the beginning stages of_ _development. I have about 6 chapter written. On my old laptop. The one that died about 2 weeks ago. the one I cannot access the files for without some complicated technogeekery that is beyond my ken. It is a task I will set my husband to accomplish. While I am in the hospital unable to to hear his screams of frustration and anger as things don't transfer like he wants them to. Or maybe when I am home but still doped up. Getting a hip replaced. This is a good thing and I am excited about being able to you know, walk again._

 **Waiting**

Joe Hardy pushed the limits of his beloved Impala and trusted that he'd be given his usual leeway as he blazed into his hometown of Bayport. Sometimes he stretched that courtesy way too far. Today was rapidly becoming another such time. He glanced at the speedometer, winced at the triple digit readout and eased up the barest fraction of pressure off the right side pedal. His Driving Karma was still in full effect and he encountered little traffic and no red lights until he reached his destination. Parking Karma failed him this day however, and he was forced into parking at the far end of the lot before sprinting at a near dead run to the entrance.

He stopped only long enough to find his destination on the Directory Board that dominated the front entry before sprinting for the stairwell. No way was he waiting for the stupid elevators to slowly reach his current location. Startling no few surreptitious smokers and one very embarrassed couple caught in a compromising position, he made his way up the 5 flights in short order. He took another breather here, panting slightly at the exertion as he frantically tried to figure out which way to head next. He was about to head in the wrong direction when he heard his name being called.

His mother Laura waved him over to where she had just exited the elevator. "You got here sooner than I expected, Honey," she said as she tilted up her cheek for a dutiful son peck. "How many speeding tickets did you get?!" she continued, half humorously. She indicated which direction he should take and linked her arm with his as they walked swiftly down the hall.

"None." He was still a little out of breath, so he kept his questions short. "Any news?"

"Not yet, dear." Laura sat down in an empty chair and patted the one beside her. "Sit down. You must be exhausted, driving all night to get here so quickly."

"Too wired to be tired." was the reply although he leaned back, closed his eyes and stretched out with a long sigh. Sure enough, within a few seconds he was asleep. Laura smiled at her youngest fondly. He always did have the ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Waking up was another thing entirely. At the same time she knew he'd be wide awake shortly, fully charged and bouncing off walls if there was no new information to be had. She herself kept glancing at the double doors that stubbornly remained unyielding in their silence. The waiting had always been the hardest part of her life as the spouse and mother of Private Investigators.

The wait continued. Not even the occasional comings and goings of the Hospital staff caused Joe to stir, so Laura was left to be bored and anxious alone. Why didn't someone come out and let her know what was happening?! She obsessively kept looking at the doors, even going so far as to walk up and peer through the tiny windows in a vain attempt at seeing something of worth. She cursed the policy that kept her cooling her heels out here instead of being where she desperately wanted to be. She kept looking over at her one son, willing him to wake up before she had to resort to throat clearing and dropping heavy objects on the floor.

The sudden blaring of some obscure rock band she never heard of did the job for her. Practically leaping out of the chair, Joe was instantly awake and answering his phone. "Yeah" he said crisply, no indication that a mere second prior he was snoring gently away dead to the world. His posture relaxed as he realized who he was talking to. " Hey, Gorgeous." he smiled at the sound of his wife's voice. In response to her question, he glanced over at his mother, who shook her head. "Nothing yet. As soon as I get some news you'll be the first person I call. Promise. Get some rest. You sound tired." with a few mushy sweet nothings, he said goodbye and hung up. "How long was I out?" he asked with a hint of embarrassment.

"About an hour or so. You obviously needed it." Laura said with a smile.

"Yeah but I left you all alone to worry. Like you do."

"No news is good news, though, right?" she tried to convince herself more than her youngest.

Before Joe could respond, though, _**finally**_ someone they recognized came through the double doors.

Frank Hardy stood there, although he paid scant attention to his surroundings. All his focus was on the tiny bundle he held in his arms. With a look of profound wonder on his face, he presented his daughter to the world.

 **A/n:** _yes, I am a rotten tease. it also occurred to me as I tried to browbeat my nice shiny new laptop with nice shiny new word processing software to play nice with FF's publisher that I failed to give Grandpa Fenton a part in this tale. so I have decreed in a post script that he is attending a reunion of cop buddies from his days on NYPD and that is a fishing trip in the middle of some lake Upstate that has no cell reception._


End file.
